Summary Ginsenosides was microencapsulated using heat‐induced polymerised whey protein as wall material. The entrapment yield was 95.46 ± 1.95% and release rates were about 20% and 100% in gastric and intestine juices, respectively. Microencapsulated ginsenosides (0.03% ginsenosides, w/v) were used for fermented milk formulation. Samples with microencapsulated ginsenosides had much higher acceptability compared with those with ginsenoside extract (P < 0.01). Addition of microencapsulated ginsenosides significantly decreased the syneresis of the sample (P < 0.01). The probiotics remained above 106 CFU mL−1 during the first 6 weeks, and no significant difference was observed in probiotics population during 10‐week storage for all samples. SEM micrograph revealed that addition of microcapsules did not change the structure of the samples considerably. The polymerised whey protein‐based microencapsulation might be an effective technique to deliver ginsenosides to small intestine through stomach. It also masked bitter taste and improved the colour of the fermented milks containing ginsenosides.

Corn is a major grain produced in northern China. Corn-based functional food products are very limited. In this study, a symbiotic corn-based yogurt-like product was developed. Corn milk was prepared through grinding, extrusion and milling, and hydration processes. Corn extrudate was prepared under the optimized conditions of corn flour particle size <180 μm, moisture content of 15% and extrusion temperature at 130 °C. The corn milk was prepared from 8% corn extrudate suspension and then milled twice with 0.1% glyceryl monostearate and 0.1% sucrose ester as emulsifiers. The corn milk was mixed with sugar (5%), glucose (2%), soy protein isolate (0.75%), inulin (1%), polymerized whey protein (0.3%) and xanthan gum (0.09%) as thickening agents. The mixture was fermented at 35 °C for 6 h using a probiotic starter culture containing L. plantarum. Chemical composition (%) of the symbiotic corn-based yogurt-like product was: total solids (17.13 ± 0.31), protein (1.12 ± 0.03), fat (0.30 ± 0.05), carbohydrates (15.14 ± 0.19), and ash (0.16 ± 0.02), respectively. pH value of this symbiotic product decreased from 4.50 ± 0.03 to 3.88 ± 0.13 and the population of L. plantarum declined from 7.8 ± 0.09 to 7.1 ± 0.14 log CFU/mL during storage at 4 °C. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that there were no changes in protein profile during storage. Texture and consistency were also stable during the period of this study. It can be concluded that a set-type corn-based symbiotic yogurt-like product with good texture and stability was successfully developed that would be a good alternative to the dairy yogurt.